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Fleas

Order Siphonaptera

Wingless parasites with laterally compressed bodies and powerful jumping legs. They can jump up to 150 times their body length and are vectors for several diseases.

Species in this Order (22)

Ceratophyllidae

Badger Flea

Paraceras melis

A large flea specialized to parasitize European badgers. It is found in badger setts and is one of t...

3-5 mm
Pulicidae

Cat Flea

Ctenocephalides felis

The most common flea on both cats and dogs worldwide. Can jump up to 150 times its body length. A si...

1.5-3 mm
Tungidae

Chigoe Flea

Tunga penetrans

A tiny tropical flea whose fertilized females burrow into the skin of the feet, causing painful swel...

1 mm
Pulicidae

Dog Flea

Ctenocephalides canis

A flea historically associated with domestic dogs but actually less common on dogs than the cat flea...

2-3.5 mm
Tungidae

Giant Armadillo Flea

Tunga caecata

A burrowing flea related to the chigoe flea that parasitizes armadillos in South America. Like its r...

1-2 mm
Pulicidae

Hedgehog Flea

Archaeopsylla erinacei

A large flea specific to European hedgehogs and one of the most abundant fleas in Western Europe. A ...

2-3.5 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Hen Flea

Ceratophyllus gallinae

A common flea of wild birds and domestic poultry, often found in nest material. Heavy infestations c...

2-3 mm
Pulicidae

Human Flea

Pulex irritans

Once common in human homes, now relatively rare in developed countries. Historically responsible for...

1.5-4 mm
Hystrichopsyllidae

Mole Flea

Hystrichopsylla talpae

The largest European flea, found on moles and other burrowing mammals....

4-6 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Moorhen Flea

Dasypsyllus gallinulae

A flea commonly found on small passerine birds including tits, wrens, and robins. It breeds in bird ...

1.5-2.5 mm
Leptopsyllidae

Mouse Flea

Leptopsylla segnis

A small flea that parasitizes house mice and other small rodents worldwide. It is commonly found in ...

1.5-2 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Northern Rat Flea

Nosopsyllus fasciatus

A flea of the Norway rat found in temperate climates, capable of transmitting murine typhus. It has ...

2-3 mm
Pulicidae

Oriental Rat Flea

Xenopsylla cheopis

The primary vector of bubonic plague, responsible for transmitting the bacterium Yersinia pestis bet...

1.5-2.5 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Pigeon Flea

Ceratophyllus columbae

A flea found in pigeon nests and dovecotes that can bite humans in infested buildings. It thrives in...

2-3 mm
Pulicidae

Rabbit Flea

Spilopsyllus cuniculi

A flea specific to European rabbits with a remarkable reproductive strategy tied to its host. It can...

1.5-2 mm
Pulicidae

Rat Flea

Xenopsylla brasiliensis

A tropical rat flea found across Africa and South America that can transmit plague. It is second to ...

1.5-2.5 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Sand Martin Flea

Ceratophyllus styx

A flea species specific to sand martin colonies in their bank-nesting burrows. It can accumulate in ...

2-3 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Snow Flea

Glaciopsyllus antarcticus

A flea that parasitizes petrels and survives Antarctic conditions year-round....

2-3 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Squirrel Flea

Orchopeas howardi

A common ectoparasite of eastern gray squirrels and flying squirrels in North America. It is found i...

2-3 mm
Pulicidae

Sticktight Flea

Echidnophaga gallinacea

A small flea that permanently attaches to the skin of poultry, often around the face and comb. It ca...

1-2 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Western Chicken Flea

Ceratophyllus niger

A poultry flea common in western North America that infests chickens and other domestic birds. Heavy...

2-3 mm
Ceratophyllidae

Western Ground Squirrel Flea

Oropsylla montana

A flea found on ground squirrels and prairie dogs in western North America. It is an important vecto...

2-3 mm